Chapter Text
Rei Todoroki is his mother.
Touya had said a lot of hurtful things to her before he stormed off to Sekoto Peak. He loves her, but he hates her for the meaningless life she’d given him. He wants to prove that he could be a hero, prove that he is worthy. Yet, a part of him just wants to be with his family again. A tiny voice in his head is crying for his mother.
“Touya!”
Rei Todoroki stands across the clearing from him. The sun is beginning to dip into the horizon, but his father has still not arrived. Why is his mother here?
“Go away,” he snarls, ignoring the way guilt claws at his insides.
“Touya,” she says, softer this time. “Let’s go home.”
He bristles.
“No! I’m not leaving until he comes. I need to show him!”
His mother takes a step toward him. She is going to bring him back home. Touya refuses to go so easy, even if it means kicking and screaming.
When she comes even closer, he responds by activating his blue fire.
“I said no!”
Rei’s eyes, while shocked by the blue, are filled with worry only for him. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“I’m FINE!”
His emotions flare up, and so does the fire. He feels it burn his right arm and chokes back a gasp. It starts to spill over, catching onto the neighboring trees and grass.
Rei Todoroki is his mother.
She activates her Quirk and starts to soothe the flames. One suddenly grows in intensity and swipes her left arm. She barely feels it. Her focus is her son. She makes her way to the core of the fire, which has cooled off thanks to her frost.
Rei Todoroki is his mother, and Touya does not want to kill her. She calms him by wrapping her arms around him tightly, and he relents.
The fire dies out, leaving only the two of them. Touya realizes that her left arm is burned in one spot. He starts to cry. She lets him, leaning his head against her chest.
“It’s okay,” she tells him gently. “I’m sorry.”
Rei Todoroki is his mother. Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Shouto are his siblings. Touya just wants to be with them.
“I’m sorry,” he sobs in kind.
His mother retains a burn scar from the incident- a little swipe on her left arm. Touya’s right arm has a whole patch. But he stays with his family, even his father, who slowly shifts his priorities to benefit them.
Touya is just glad that he reconciled with them before it was too late.
————
At 16, Touya has learned to live with everything. He asks his parents to let him move out so he can find a new avenue of life. They agree.
His father buys an apartment complex with modest units that Touya had insisted upon. Other tenants slowly begin to occupy the remaining rooms, unaware of the fact that it belongs to Endeavor or that Touya is a Todoroki. He starts going by Dabi to avoid detection.
Even though his family is legally required to ensure his well-being, Touya still wants to be independent. He wants to start making money so that he can be financially stable as an adult.
He finds that taking paid surveys is a surprisingly legitimate source of income. Not something to do full-time, but effective since he has plenty of time on his hands. Then Touya discovers freelance writing.
He’s always had a flair for dramatics, and after the incident at Sekoto Peak, he’d delved into writing as a hobby. His eye for syntax and eloquence allows him to complete multiple commissions, and he comes away with a little more money squirreled into his account.
He’s browsing writing forums when he stumbles across one amusing post.
Looking for a writer!
We are a team of 5 in the process of developing a video game. We need a creative writer who can communicate with us in order to bring our vision of a dystopian survival indie game to life. If you’re a writer interested in a long-term project like this one, please contact us at [email protected] and provide samples of your work!
It’s a lofty goal. The ambition brings a good-natured smile to his face. There’s an additional note below the main post that tells him the pay is negotiable.
If he were broke and looking for a solid job, Touya wouldn’t have given the post a second thought. But he isn’t broke, and he’s confident that he can balance writing, taking surveys, and a part-time job all at once. He takes it as a challenge- one that he is determined to overcome.
Touya opens the email app and types the provided address in. He uses his new email.
From [email protected]
Hey, I heard you’re looking for a writer. My portfolio is attached below.
He also adds his preferred wages- not very high so as to avoid giving the wrong impression. Considering his age, he doesn’t expect much. But that very evening, he gets a reply.
From [email protected]
Hello! Attached is an overview of the game so far as well as our names + contact information.
We’re gonna be honest: we are very, very new to this. Your portfolio is impressive, considering you’re only 16. It’s great to know we have such a talented writer on our side!
This is a long-term project, so you’ll have no choice but to befriend the entire team. I know, it’s daunting, but I think you’ll fit in just fine. We look forward to working with you, Dabi Himura!
The five members of team CMAKES, as they call themselves, are not what he expects. The oldest are Kosuke Sakamoto and his wife Chizuki at 36. They’re followed up by the other three members; Ahmya Miari, Manchineel, and Emmaki, all of whom are 21.
Just as they said, Touya fit in with them perfectly. As it turned out, they were in desperate need of someone like him, because he took one look at the “script” and felt a migraine coming on.
“The setup is solid, but the plot is all over the place.” He had told them on a call. “It’s like the five of you couldn’t agree on a timeline.”
“That’s pretty much what happened,” supplied Emmaki.
“Well, fine. If I’m gonna edit this, what’s off-limits?”
“Nothing.” Chizuki replied. “We trust your judgment. None of us are good writers, which is why we were in sore need of someone like you.”
Kosuke said, “You have near-total control over the writing process. All we ask is that you keep the heart of what we have.”
So that is what Touya did, for a whole two years. Ahmya designed characters and backgrounds, Kosuke and Chizuki were in charge of the code, Emmaki handled audio, Manchineel tested the game, and they all pitched in on everything else.
He also gets a job at a soup kitchen. It’s something that allows Touya to help others without being a hero, and he’s proud of his work.
Finally, the game is released. They don’t expect much. They certainly aren’t expecting it to become a hit and generate far more money than they spent on it. But lo and behold.
Touya’s account has thousands of yen more than he thought he would have after two years. His family is ecstatic for him. Shouto especially, if his constant playing of the game is any indicator.
Now that he’s 18, Touya is feeling more and more independent. He feels like he is worthy, like he is someone to be proud of.
For Touya Todoroki, also known as Dabi Himura, life is looking up.
Then he meets a meek little boy with green hair and freckles, and something he thought to be impossible happens.
His life takes an even better turn.